Where's My Cold Break?

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The last 8 brews have been NC and I boil for 45min. Bittering hops @45min add some hops at flameout and add some to the cube. At -15 add whirlfloc. Only difference this time is no cube hops as i want to add them to fermenter/dry hop probably about day 3 or 4. All previous cubes had a whitish milky looking substance which i assumed was cold break. Most recent brew did not. I am having a go at a DSGA. Any ideas why i don't have the cold break if that is what it is? Thanks in advance.
 
Whitish milky looking substances in your cube (I'm assuming you get a layer along the bottom?) are generally trub and other matter from the boil hops and what not. Depending on the recipe you can get more or less of this. You get cold break from rapidly cooling the wort but no chilling obviously doesn't do that so it's not cold break, just proteins and other matter from the boil.

I'm intrigued by your 45 minute boils. That seems pretty short to me. Generally I will boil for 90 minutes - especially if using pale lightly kilned malts like pilsener malt - otherwise you risk dms appearing in your beer.
 
Whitish milky looking substances in your cube (I'm assuming you get a layer along the bottom?) are generally trub and other matter from the boil hops and what not. Depending on the recipe you can get more or less of this. You get cold break from rapidly cooling the wort but no chilling obviously doesn't do that so it's not cold break, just proteins and other matter from the boil.

I'm intrigued by your 45 minute boils. That seems pretty short to me. Generally I will boil for 90 minutes - especially if using pale lightly kilned malts like pilsener malt - otherwise you risk dms appearing in your beer.

+1 I also agree that it is better to be safe than sorry and in most cases 60mins should be a minimum boil time.
 
Just checked my records. 10th NC and no probs yet. I've only used aussie ale malts in the past, i understand these are less prone to dms. The layer settles to the bottom. The only difference this time is that i did not cube hop. I also used some wheat as part of my grain bill, 1kg.
 
I did a 20 minute boil once with BB Ale. No DMS.
 
Whitish milky looking substances in your cube (I'm assuming you get a layer along the bottom?) are generally trub and other matter from the boil hops and what not. Depending on the recipe you can get more or less of this. You get cold break from rapidly cooling the wort but no chilling obviously doesn't do that so it's not cold break, just proteins and other matter from the boil.

I'm intrigued by your 45 minute boils. That seems pretty short to me. Generally I will boil for 90 minutes - especially if using pale lightly kilned malts like pilsener malt - otherwise you risk dms appearing in your beer.

thats a fundamental misunderstanding of what cold break is there....

Your cold break probably formed much smaller particles due to the lack of interaction with hop substances, it was there, it would simply have all still been in suspension, it can take a very long time (days) to settle out.

I suggest that your boil should be longer and your whirlfloc in the boil for a shorter time. Domt worry about cold break, you couldn't stop it happening if you tried. It'll settle to the bottom of your fermenter, just like everybody elses does.

TB
 
Thanks troops. As this is my 1st time for dry hopping in FV feel free to chime in on your method. I am thinking one of the following three. 1. Soak a piece of swiss voile in starsan put hops in and tie up as a pouch then toss it in. 2. same as 1 but using tea ball strainers. 3. toss pellets in as they are. I wish to harvest my yeast.
 
Never had a problem with adding pellets as they are.
 
IMO cold break is only a problem when you are fermenting lagers as the wort will be sitting on the trub a lot longer and has more time to take up unwanted flavours.
 
Is there really any definitive proof that leaving cold break in a lager would be detrimental. It would sure save me some angst if I didn't have to rack off may lager from the break when it reaches pitch temp.

Cheers, Hoges.
 
My understanding of cold break is that its effect on finished flavour and stability is pretty minimal/negligible. Hot break on the other hand - not so good but that's easy to leave behind.
 
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